Metallic post



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. i

CHARLES T. SCI-IOEN, OF ALLEGIIENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

Vt/IETALLIC POST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.497,134, dated May 9, 1893.

Application filed January l1, 1893. Serial No. 458,022. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. SCHOEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Posts for Letter- Boxes and other Purposes, of which the tollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

The primary object of this invention is to furnish a post or pedestal for street letter boxes in accordance with the requirements of the United States Post Office Department, but, as will presently appear, the principle of the invention is applicable to posts for other purposes.

The invention consists,in its preferred form, of a post made in two parts, of sheetor plate steel, fitted togetherlongitudinally, with reedings at the joints, and also provided with intermediate reedings in order to render the post symmetrical and,also, at the same time, to increase its strength and stilten it, all as I will proceed now more particularly to set forth and nally claim.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the several figures ot which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is an elevation. Fig. 2 is a cross-section, taken in the plane of line oc-, Fig. l, looking downwardly. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the lower portion of the post, taken in the plane of line y-y, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the upper end of the post.

The preferred form of `post is composed of two tapering sections, a, b. The section a has its longitudinal edges providedhwith outwardly-projecting beads c terminating in inwardly-projecting Iianges d; and the section b has its edges provided with the inwardlyprojecting beads e and the outwardly-projecting flanges f; and adJacent to these 1nwardly-projecting beads care the outwardlyprojecting beads g. The iianges d interlock with the flanges f within the beads c, and when the post is thus assembled the two beads c and g are arranged alongside of one another and have the appearance of reeding. Other reedings h and t are provided on the sections a and b, respectively, between their Joiuting beads for the purpose of symmetry, and also for the purpose common to that of the beads c, c, g, of strengthening or stiftening the post.

The parts of the posts may be struck up in dies or otherwise formed, separately, and when formed, they may be united by slipping` one upon the other longitudinally.

The post may be buried in the earth in any suitable manner and, being hollow, its lower end is adapted to receive a wooden anchor device, or any other anchoring device may be applied to it. I prefer to surround the post onthe earth line with acollar oriiange k, and this collar or iiange may be bolted to the post or may be secured thereto by indenting the same, as indicated at Z in Fig. 3.

In order to adapt the post to receive a letter box, its upper end is provided with a flanged collar m to which the letter box may be bolted; and this flanged collar may be secured to the post by bolts or byindeutations, as indicated at n, in Fig. 4.

Obviously, the flange or collar m, that is to say, the upper terminal of the post, may be ot' such construction as the purpose for which the post is designed may require. For example, a hitching post would have a suitable head and rings; and a post designed for other uses would be supplied with such parts as are necessary to adapt it for that purpose.

I prefer to construct my post and its several parts by pressing the same from plate or sheet steel; but I do not wish to limit my invention in the construction of posts to that material and that mode of construction, as it is obvious that a sectional post of the construction herein described may be made by casting. It is also within my invention to cast the collars or flanges k andm and apply them to a pressed-steel or cast post; and hence, while I specifically claim as of this invention a pressed-steel post I do not thereby restrict my invention to that one way of producing it.

Vhile I prefer to make the post in two sections it is obvious that it may be made in more than two sections and similarly jointed.

What I claim is- 1. A pressed-steel post divided longitudinally into a number of sections and provided with reedings on the edges of such sections IOO said several sections, substantially as de-V scribed.

3. A post composed of a number of longitudinal sections provided With reedings on-l their edges, such reedings having vinterlocking flanges, and intermediate reedings disposed on such sections, substantially as de-Y scribed.

4. A 'hollow sectional post, having longitudinal reedings on the edges of its sections, provided with interlocking anges, substantially as described.

5. A hollow sectional post composed of a number of sections having interlocking reedings on their edges, combined with a bottom flange and a top piece, substantially as described.

In testimony Whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of January, A. D. 1893.

CHARLES T. SCHOEN.

Witnesses:

WM. I-I. SoHoEN, FRANCIS G. GALLAGHER. 

